ProRes on Notice: Galaxy S26 Rumored to Debut Superior APV Video

For years, a clear line has been drawn in the smartphone camera wars. Samsung, with its high-megapixel sensors and astonishing zoom capabilities, has largely dominated the world of mobile photography. Meanwhile, Apple's iPhone has firmly held the crown for professional-grade video, thanks to its exceptional ProRes codec that has become a staple for mobile filmmakers and content creators. Now, a wave of compelling rumors suggests Samsung is preparing to erase that line entirely. The upcoming Galaxy S26 series is reportedly being armed with a supercharged video toolkit designed to directly challenge, and potentially surpass, Apple's long-held video dominance.

At the heart of this challenge is a new piece of technology: the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. This isn't just an incremental update to Samsung's Pro Video mode; it's a foundational shift aimed at providing creators with the quality, flexibility, and—crucially—the efficiency that the professional video world demands.

What is Apple's ProRes and Why Do Creators Love It?

To understand the significance of Samsung's rumored move, it's essential to grasp why ProRes is the gold standard for mobile videography. A video codec is essentially a set of rules for compressing and decompressing digital video. Standard codecs used on most phones, like HEVC (H.265), are designed for maximum compression to keep file sizes small, but this comes at the cost of image data.

ProRes takes the opposite approach. It prioritizes image quality over file size.

1. High Image Quality: It captures video in 10-bit color, which translates to over a billion possible shades. This allows for incredibly smooth color gradients and avoids the "banding" seen in skies or on flat surfaces in standard 8-bit video.
2. Editing Flexibility: Because ProRes retains so much more data, editors have immense freedom in post-production. They can push and pull colors, recover details from shadows and highlights, and apply complex color grades without the footage falling apart or showing ugly digital artifacts.
3. The Downside: The main drawback is its notoriously large file sizes. A few minutes of 4K ProRes video can consume many gigabytes of storage, making it impractical for casual use and demanding for professional workflows.

Samsung's Answer: The Advanced Professional Video (APV) Codec Explained

Samsung's answer to ProRes appears to be the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec, a new standard that has been in development for some time and was officially integrated by Google into the core of Android 16. Leaks from reliable sources now indicate the Galaxy S26 will be the first device to unleash its full potential. APV is designed to match ProRes on quality while beating it on efficiency.

Here’s a breakdown of its rumored features:

• 20% More Storage Efficiency: This is APV's killer feature. It allegedly provides professional-grade, near-lossless quality but in files that are up to 20% smaller than standard pro codecs like ProRes. This strikes a crucial balance, offering creators the quality they need without the crippling storage demands.
• Superior 12-Bit Color Depth: While ProRes offers 10-bit color (1 billion colors), APV reportedly supports 12-bit color, which can represent over 68 billion colors. This allows for exceptionally smooth and precise color gradations, giving editors even more fidelity to work with.
• LOG and HDR Support: APV fully supports recording in a flat LOG profile. This is a desaturated, low-contrast image that looks unappealing straight from the camera but contains the maximum possible dynamic range. It's a blank canvas for professional colorists. The codec also supports HDR10 and HDR10+ for stunning high-dynamic-range content.
• 4:4:4 Chroma Subsampling: Without getting too technical, this feature means the codec records color information at the highest possible fidelity, without taking shortcuts. This results in more accurate and purer colors, which is especially important for tasks like green screen work (chroma keying) and detailed visual effects.

How the Galaxy S26 Will Power This New Video Format

Delivering a professional-grade video codec in real-time requires immense processing power and a tightly integrated software-hardware pipeline.

• The Exynos 2600 Chipset: The engine behind this new capability is expected to be Samsung's in-house Exynos 2600 processor. By controlling the chip's design, Samsung can create a dedicated Image Signal Processor (ISP) and hardware encoder specifically optimized for the demands of the APV codec, ensuring smooth, real-time performance.
• Android 16 Integration: The groundwork has already been laid. Google's integration of the APV codec into Android 16 means the operating system is ready to support it, allowing Samsung to focus on the hardware implementation and user-facing features.
• Pro-Level Workflow Features: Samsung seems to be mirroring key parts of Apple's pro workflow. Leaks suggest the S26 will offer both HQ (High Quality) and LQ (Low Quality) recording profiles for APV, allowing users to choose between maximum quality and smaller file sizes. Critically, it's also rumored to support recording video directly to external SSDs via USB-C, a must-have feature for professionals shooting long-form content.

More Than a Codec: A Complete Camera Overhaul

The APV codec is the headline feature, but it's part of a broader, comprehensive upgrade to the Galaxy S26's entire camera system.

• Horizon Lock: For ultimate video stabilization, the S26 is rumored to include a "Horizon Lock" feature. Similar to what's found on GoPro action cameras, this would keep the horizon perfectly level even if the phone is tilted or rotated, resulting in incredibly smooth and professional-looking footage.
• Direct LUT Application: One of the most exciting workflow improvements is the rumored ability to apply creative color profiles, known as LUTs (Look-Up Tables), to LOG videos directly within the native Gallery app. This would allow creators to preview different looks or even apply a final grade on the go, a much more streamlined process than relying on third-party apps as is often required with the iPhone.
• Practical Improvements: On a more practical note, the camera's document scanning function is expected to get an upgrade with multi-page scanning, and Motion Photos will reportedly offer more customization.
• Hardware Foundation: All this software innovation will be built on a powerful hardware base. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to feature a new 200MP primary sensor with a wider aperture and better light-gathering capabilities, ensuring that the data being fed into the APV codec is of the highest possible quality.

What This Means for Mobile Videographers

For content creators and mobile filmmakers, the combination of these features is a game-changer. The Galaxy S26 is shaping up to be a complete, self-contained production toolkit that offers a more efficient and flexible workflow than its rivals. Imagine shooting in a high-fidelity 12-bit LOG format, saving directly to an external drive, and then applying a cinematic LUT for a quick export, all from a single device. This democratizes high-end filmmaking and positions the Galaxy S26 as a serious professional tool.

Conclusion: Samsung is No Longer Just Competing on Photos

The rumored introduction of the APV codec and its surrounding features marks a pivotal strategic shift for Samsung. The company is no longer content to let Apple dominate the narrative around professional mobile video. It is building a comprehensive ecosystem of hardware and software designed to meet—and exceed—the demands of serious creators.

If these leaks materialize, the Galaxy S26 won't just be a phone with a fantastic camera; it will be a formidable contender for the title of the best smartphone for videography. By directly targeting the iPhone's key strengths while innovating on efficiency and workflow, Samsung is poised to challenge Apple's video crown and redefine what's possible with a camera that fits in your pocket.